


Dancing On Thin Ice

by sacredsprites



Category: Incredibles (Pixar Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Lesbian pulp fiction and 60s jazz, Movie plot slightly altered, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-08-19 09:29:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16531904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sacredsprites/pseuds/sacredsprites
Summary: Evelyn and Helen knew one thing for sure though; their relationship was like an ice-covered lake. One step too far would shatter the strictly professional relationship they were now trying to maintain.





	1. Cold places are made for cold people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn grows attached to her parents mausoleum (and elastigirl)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m ignoring the supers handbook on Evelyn’s age... also this is just an intro so don’t expect much plot, ty for reading all comments are cherished!

Ever since she was little, Evelyn Deavor had had a fascination with the cold and the dark. At night she would silently slip out of her bed, being careful not to disturb the creaky floorboards and creep out through her frosted windows onto the lower roof and spend a while gazing up at few stars that peeped out from behind the blanket of cloud that would settle over a sleepless Metroville each night. She wouldn’t make wishes as she felt no need; If she wanted something to happen she would work hard to make it come true. She didn’t need flaming balls of gas millions of miles away to help her.

*

For most of her childhood and her teen years, it became her comfort place for her, where she could express her true thoughts on things that her family, and society would not have tolerated. But when her parents died, it shifted to their Mausoleum; a open-roofed hexagonal strucure that was formed with triumphal arches and gates on each side high stop a roof and far away from the suburbs of the city. She would sip the hot chocolate she had bought from the cafe (whipped cream and no marshmallows) as a coffee would keep her awake all night force her to think about why that mausoleum was built in the first place. Plus the chocolate would slowly run down her throat and fill her with a marvellous warmth that seemed to make her feel alive again. She would let her long chestnut hair brush past her neck every time the wind blew as it felt nice against her cold skin as it felt similar to someone stroking her and she was honestly severely deprived of touch. Her chilled breath would send curls of smoke as she would chart the stars she could see whist her cat, Poincaré would shiver and climb into her lap and demand for warmth with mews and rubs so Evelyn would bundle him up like a burrito and let him sip some hot milk that she had gotten from the cafe. He would purr happily and then go wandering round the mausoleum, with no need for Evelyn to worry about him as the grounds had gates to thin for him to slip through. Finally, when she had tracked Poincaré down would she remove a wilted flower from last time and replace it with a fresh new one. It was funny, to speak that someone’s favourite place was a mausoleum, but it gave Evelyn peace from Winston’s non-stop chatter and the “Dyke Deavor” nickname that had plagued her from 8th grade to her new job at her parents company, DevTech. Plus at least there was nice view of Metroville that saw out to the sea. She was twenty five.

 

A lot changed in the next ten years  
*

 

When Evelyn returned after years of abandoning the Mausoleum she was similar yet so different. The smoke on her breath no longer came from the chilled air but from the cigarette that nestled in between her fingers. The hot chocolate had been cast aside for whiskey and her hair was now too short to brush her neck. Her eyes focused on the ground, ignoring the world around her and Poincaré was now 16 years old and was to old and fat to do anything but mew. She had only come here as she had nowhere else to go and was feeling like shit. Her screensaver plan that she had worked so hard on was going to be a lot harder now she had met her target, connected with her like she had with no other and openly flirted with her, making herself actually believe that she was her friend. She had only just met Elastigirl tonight but already knew that her lonely soul would get attached, too attached. She looked up took another swig of her almost empty bottle and sighed. From beneath that blanket of cloud she could see a shooting star... sighing she decided it was worth a shot. “Please can Elastigirl not charm me into fucking up my plan” she muttered under her breath. Suddenly she found herself yelling it at the star “Please, Please , PLEASE!!!”  
She began to run away from the mausoleum, her knees giving way underneath her after a while, causing her to fall and slip down the hill, where her driver found her, sobbing and yelling for Poincaré. He carried her back to the car, got Poincaré and drove back into the suburbs of Metroville.  
she hadn’t wished on a shooting star

she had wished on an aeroplane.  
*


	2. Search For Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Helen Parr prepares a small dinner party for the start of the superheroes legalisation scheme and ends up coming to terms with herself. Also I messed up when violets date was supposed to be so sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine if there was a day between winston meeting the supers as Helen leaving for new urbem, this is that day. Also this is kind of a filler but more plot will happen in the next chapter, Enjoy!

Dancing on thin ice chapter two

Helen Parr zipped around the kitchen of the new house that Winston Deavor had bestowed to her.

“Bob!” She howled. “Are the kids ready?”

“Yeah... be down in a minute honey!” Was the slightly faint response from an exasperated Bob.

“Aargh! The pie!” Helen groaned as she stretched her hand over to the oven, gently opening it and pulling out the chicken and sweetcorn pie she had prepared for tonight, which was thankfully not burnt, but may have leaned to a rather crispier side. To be frank, when she had volunteered to host a dinner party to discuss the plans of the super legalisation in finer details and to celebrate the start of the road to super legalisation , she had been thinking about the fact that she hadn’t done anything like that since Bob had had a few co-workers from insuricare over many years ago, not the food. Nevertheless, the pie’s recipe was seemingly drilled into her mind as she had spent her childhood watching her mother cooking it and the family recipe had been passed on to her and she was relying on the hope that this story was charming enough to convince everyone it was just as good as a meal with gourmet characteristics and taste. She then turned her attention to the cheesecake that was sitting on the counter top, the bag of chocolate chips that were supposed to be for the decoration missing...

“Dashniell Robert Parr, come here right now with those chocolate chips or I swear to god that you shall not be attending any track meets for a month!” Helen growled in only slightly genuine fury. She turned her back expectantly and when she looked behind her, Dash’s guilty eyes said it all, the lack of speech due to the chocolate in his mouth.

“Sorry Mom” he muttered after he had swallowed the chips, slowly handing back the bag. Before Helen could say a word he had zoomed off, this time with a can of soda that had been abandoned from earlier, probably by himself. Helen rolled her eyes, before giving in herself and nibbling delicately on one of the chips. She then used the remainder of the chips to cover her cake before wrapping it up in foil and placing it in the fridge. Now she could address her husband again, who still hadn’t made an appearance.

“Bob! Hurry up!”

“COMING honey!”

“Argh! You said that last time and still, you haven’t dropped the kids off, you haven’t changed, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?”

“ I’ve been changing!”

“Well it doesn’t take that long!”

“Okay sweetie, I’m walking down in a second, just need to grab Jack-Jack!”

Eventually, Bob came down in his super-suit. He smiled innocently at Helen and pretended to ignore her flared nostrils, furrowing brows, and demanding posture. In his arms, Jack-Jack squirmed, wanting Helen.

“Dash, Vi, are you ready? Hurry up! I haven’t got all day.” He called tiredly, as if he had been the one waiting. This only infuriated Helen more and now she clenched her jaw (and fists) in vexation. After a while, Violet trudged down the stairs, dressed in a purple cardigan and light blue jeans the color of earrings that were reminiscent of crystal raindrops. She smiled shyly,

“Do you think Tony will like it, it’s not to plain, is it? have I underdressed? what if he wears a tie...”

“Sweetie, if he’s the one, he’ll like your personality more than anything you wear!” Bob said, tenderly encouraging her. Suddenly all the anger in Helen melted and she saw the man who she loved, big-hearted and compassionate. She smiled warmly at him and he returned it, making a rush of affection hit her like a lightning bolt. She felt a warmth in her cheeks, and she chuckled softly to herself, allowing a gush of memories to flood her mind. She didn’t know why the comment set her off so much, bringing her past back into glory and spirit. She sighed, as the steam of memories turned from a gush to a trickle and just like that, into an empty abyss that matched her heart.

*

Whilst Bob dropped Violet off to the Cinema and Dash and Jack-Jack over to Honey, Helen could finally breathe. She had to shower and get into her super suit so she could get into the main focus, cleaning and making the new house spotless. Thankfully it was already quite clean, only needing a few touch-ups. Bored, she decided to cook some soup as an appetiser. When that was done she gently sat down on the scarlet sofas and put on the record that she so loved, _Search For Peace_. As the opening bars started and the sleek glissando faded into noodling she found herself blanketed in an unfamiliar feeling that made her feel like nothing really mattered anymore. The soft yet imposing sax gently carried the song into something that had the power to captivate her tired mind and transport it to somewhere she would often visit in her dreams and brief moments of peace. Everything around her faded as she slowly hummed the melancholy tune. She was no longer in the present but back in the comfort and consolation of the past. She closed her eyes and could almost see the old streets she would play super on, changed so much by time and loss of crime, gentle rain pattering down on the city as the lights blurred into a haze of colour and shape, the feel of the elasticycle in her gloved hands gently buzzing and responding to her every turn, the way her hair became damp, but never felt cold or uncomfortable. All these little things and more seemed to override her overstressed mind and rock her softy to an unknown paradise.

This was a brief moment . These weird yet wonderful Déjà Vus, would fill Helen with a stupid false hope that everything would get better,but it had been 15 years and counting, nothing had happened, but Helen wasn’t a cynic; she was a believer and Winston Deavor had given her family and other supers a chance, a chance that couldn’t be ignored. In truth, Helen was absolutely sure that she missed the glory days as much as Bob, she was just much, much better at hiding it. She yearned to have one more carefree, happy day, a day where her every move wasn’t going to have consequences and force her to make choices where she didn’t want either of the options. It seemed to Helen, ever since she was young, that everything about her screamed the opposite of what society wanted of a woman. Ever since superheroes had become illegal, she had tried her best to turn that around, to try and be the ideal wife, mother and lady, perfect and straight in all things and up until a few days ago it had seemed to work, but an interference by the name of Evelyn Deavor had the power to wreak this in an instant and send Helen’s life into turmoil But Helen could try to resist, to stay strong and ignore anything she threw at her, though she knew from the moment she met that woman, she would be fighting a losing battle.

 

*

She turned her attention back to the music which had momentarily taken the back seat as her thoughts pushed through to a point where they almost ruined the placidity. She let the ebb and flow of sax and piano slacken her for a few more glorious moments, then got up to set the dinner table. She went for a classy, jazzy style as she cast a low-light hue that inclined a romantic tension yet to come, she polished the oak table with precision, choosing to add a few candles to enhance the glamour and mystique. She hauled the record player into the room and put on another of her favourite songs _When Sunny Gets Blue_  . She set out 5 plates for Bob, Herself, Evelyn Winston and Lucius. She placed golden cutlery that matched the room’s charming setting next to each bronze-rimmed plate. She set and poured glasses of Pinot Noir with care and she left the bottle in the centre. She checked on the mushroom soup bubbling on the hob and with the expertise of a master chef, she poured the soup into bowls to cool and added a dash of cream. She then waited for Bob to return, as she hummed the records playing and tried to ignore the nerves in her stomach that she believed to have been somewhat connected to Evelyn Deavor’s visit which was approaching with every second.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Search for peace is the amazing song that inspired this not-as-amazing chapter! go check it out, also all kudos and comments are much loved. Thanks :)


	3. It's not right, but it's okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Evelyn sets a criteria for a successful evening, and fails, terribly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the trivia at the bottom for a clearer understanding (especially towards the end with Spring Fire)  
> thank you to all the support I've received, Much Love and enjoy :)  
> ALSO, free kudos spam + comments etc. for whoever guesses the artist who sung the song in my title

The lights of the city flashed by in a whirl, leaving no impression on Evelyn as she gazed absent-mindedly out the window of the sleek silver Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk. Next to her her brother chattered excitedly with a combination of nerves and delight. “Can you believe it Evie!” We are going to meet our idols!”  
“You’re idols, not mine” Evelyn muttered under her breath, though she felt that her statement didn’t apply for one of the supers she was about to make acquaintance with. She had alway found Elastigirl  
the most... compelling to put it strongly. But other supers had been lazy, arrogant and overconfident. So it was a bit of a mixed bag when she had found out the results of her charts; good because Elastigirl was the probably deal with but bad because she knew that she couldn’t-wouldn’t get too attached otherwise her plan would fall apart and leave Evelyn purposeless, nothing to put passion into anymore, supers would become legal and she would become a slave. Doomed to make technology to enhance their powers by her brother, who was unknowing of her zealous hatred. She sighed and asserted her gaze to the mansion her brother had given Elastigirl and Mr Incredible. Evelyn had to admit, out of the houses they owned this was certainly one of the most luxurious, just proving even more how much Winston loved supers. She couldn’t remember visiting this house as she stepped out the car and nodded politely at the driver. She suddenly felt a rush of nerves, then frowned; confused at why this was happening to her, there was nothing to be afraid of, just a trio of clowns in fancy dress. Okay, that was a bit harsh but the only other option was to be timorous. She was a not annoyed that she had to face these people whilst they were in masks and supersuits, it made them rather inhuman and superior and it slightly unhinged her. Nevertheless it didn’t matter, her criteria for a successful evening was as follows:  
1\. Look interested  
2\. engage in conversation  
3\. Don’t get too friendly with Elastigirl

But this already seemed to be as  
hard as trying to touch the sky  
*

A curious mix of nerves and placidness engulfed Helen’s tired mind. Lucius had arrived a half hour ago and apart from a polite hello a bit of small talk, Helen had barely said a word leaving, Bob to do all the talking, though she occasionally made a small comment on their animated discussions. She was waiting in anticipation of the Deavor’s visit and when they arrived and had settled, she could finally relax.  
Or maybe not.  
The chime of the doorbell snapped Helen out of her stupor as she looked around the room and declared she would be the one to get the door. On the short walk down the hall, she tried to make herself look a bit more alive and practiced her smile. She paused at the door for a moment, hand grasping the knob, before fixing the smile on her face and yanking it open with a bit to much gusto.  
“Hello! Winston, Evelyn, So glad you could make it, do come in!” She babbled with the same over-eagerness she had used on the door. Finally she gave herself a moment to look at them properly. Winston was wearing a navy suit with a smile that matched hers, though his was more genuine. Evelyn...Evelyn lurked behind her brother, her icy blue eyes flitting up to meet hers as she offered a smile that although smaller than hers and Winston’s, was the most effective as it caused for a warm fluttering feeling to settle in her chest.  
A feeling that only got stronger as the night got older.

*  
_Through a long and sleepless night_  
_I whisper your name_  
_Through a long and sleepless night_  
_Of who is to blame_  
There was something about music that drew out Evelyn’s much softer side. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact her mother had always been a great lover of the art of putting a few notes together to make beautiful melodies that could capture even the coldest of hearts. She had always tried to teach Evelyn types of slow dances, like waltzes and foxtrots, gently leading her around their lounge and encouraging her with smiles and hugs. And though she would never admit it, Evelyn had loved it. But when her mother had died, so had that part of Evelyn. Well, not quite. Sometimes, when she was certain that she would not be seen, she would turn on the radio would reduce the volume to virtually inaudible and retrace the steps that her mother had once danced so gracefully. She felt embarrassed as it went against everything her persona said about her. But she felt obliged to, for if she forgot, her mother would be truly be gone. She  
exhaled slowly and once more focused on the “meeting”.  
“So,” Winston said, eager to get the ball rolling,  
“As I said when we first met, we are going to make some wrong things right. First of all, Elastigirl are you up for this?”  
“Me and B-sorry, Mr Incredible have talked and we’ve decided... I’m in”  
Ugh. Evelyn found it a bit annoying that Elastigirl had to get her husbands approval to do this. Then again, Evelyn hadn’t been in a serious relationship for long time so she wasn’t being very fair.  
“Great! Fabulous! Well that settles it, we leave for New Urbem tomorrow.”  
“What?!” Mr Incredible and Elastigirl said simultaneously.  
“Well we have to strike where the crime is big, plus a fresh record with the cops is sure to help.”  
“Ahh... well I can look Vi and Dash honey, you go!” Mr Incredible gasped like he had revealed a huge secret.  
Huh. So they had had kids, Evelyn hadn’t known that and hadn’t even thought about it. Well it was obvious, really. Who cares? Was Evelyn’s opinion on his reaction.What are we gonna do now we know your kids names? Kill them?  
Helen gave Bob a look then smiled at no one in particular. The awkwardness hung over the table like a cloud, before Frozone broke the silence.  
“Well come on Elastigirl!”  
“Helen,” she mumbled tiredly, eyes fixated on a napkin.  
Mr Incredible’s eyes flew open in shock.  
Helen. Evelyn repeated in her head. It was such a suitable name, fitting even part of her. _Helen, Helen, Helen_. Evelyn wanted to savour saying it, enjoying every syllable, relish on the pronunciation...

In short it was better than Elastigirl.

“He’s Bob, he’s Lucius.” Elas...no Helen said pointing at Mr Incredible then Frozone, her tone the same, still fixated on the napkin.  
“Honey...why would you say...”  
“Why would I say that? They saved us from homelessness Bob!, They’re going to help supers futures, our kids futures, and we won’t say our names? They’re not just civilians, they’re our friends, we’re not robots, or gods we are just people, Bob.”  
Bob looked down sheepishly.  
The awkwardness returned to the table.  
Evelyn was shaken. These opinions voiced by Helen, a super herself, were dangerously similar to Evelyn’s own opinions on supers. Frankly she would rather call them abnormalities but would never call Helen that after what she had just said. It somewhat moved Evelyn, but everything came with a price; on finding something to like about her, it would just be harder when the time came...  
“Well would you prefer if we used your regular names or super ones, I mean we are going to spend a lot of time with you... especially Elastigirl.” Evelyn said, finally fitting the 2nd step of her criteria, engage in conversation.  
“Helens fine when it’s just us, but in public it’s Elastigirl, please” Helen replied with a warm smile that made Evelyn’s stomach feel all weird. She hesitantly returned that smile as their eyes met.  
“Okay! Is everything sorted then?” Winston said.  
“Yeah” Helen replied. She got up suddenly and walked into what Evelyn Evelyn believed to be the kitchen. She returned several moments later with a tray full of steaming bowls of soups. She set it down giving one to everybody.  
“Wow this looks...great!” Evelyn said, fighting the temptation to say “Incredible”.  
“Thanks, its only soup”  
“You didn’t have to cook”  
“Please, I haven’t done anything like this since...forever!”  
They both laughed.  
_Okay... from on no getting pally with Hel...Elastigirl_

Unfortunately, Evelyn had overestimated her ability to self-control.

*  
_Can't help but wonder_  
_If you're lonely too_  
_As I lie here and toss about_  
_So alone, so without you_

After a delicious pie (served with a lovely story of origin) and serveral glasses of Pinot Noir, Evelyn was becoming extremely slack in filling the criteria she had set, she had completely ignored Winston, who upon finishing his food, had nattered on for a while. Eventually they had all settled down in the living room, though they had split, the Helen and men were watching a crime drama. For a while, Evelyn had sat by herself then Helen had joined her, they had chatted for a long time, both of them laughing and discussing everything from fashion to Poincaré, music and dance. Evelyn had ended up blurting out her secret to Helen about the dancing and when Helen has asked for a tutorial, who was Evelyn to refuse? Giggling like school children they had run back into the kitchen, and Helen had placed a record on the player and Evelyn found herself trying to control her shacking hands as they tightly gripped Helens slender waist as they slowly began to waltz around the room. Evelyn trembled, the music making her mournful, many of the songs being ones that her mother had loved. In fear of spilling tears, from her expressionless eyes, she abruptly let go of Helen and walked to an empty room, slamming the door to indicate she wanted alone time too drunk to care that she was intruding in someone’s house. She plucked a book ( _Spring Fire_ ) off a shelf, not even questioning why _this genre_ of book was even in the Incredibles home. She had read the book many times, along with several others very similar, but stashed them away, with the dance books her mother had left her in fear of Winston finding them. After a half hour, she became aware of the sound of the door opening. Helen shyly peeped in.  
“Mind I if I join you?”  
“Sure, it is your house”  
“Aha, yeah”  
On revealing herself from behind the oak-panelled door, Evelyn found she had brought two glasses of wine with her. She sat down next to Evelyn on the settee, her leg brushing against hers. Evelyn jerked away, the involuntary touch feeling like fire. Awkwardness hung between them. Eventually, Helen decided to spring up a conversation.  
“Is that _Spring Fire_?”She asked, clearly seeing the cover that already answered the question.  
“Yeah sorry.... I shouldn’t have touched your stuff...”  
“No, no it’s fine, Just don’t take it with you, I seriously adore that book!” She said laughing.  
“Really?, How come?”  
“It’s nice to have something to connect to”  
_Wait... What!_  
“Connect?” Asked Evelyn, growing more curious by the second.  
“Mitch and Leda’s relationship are reminiscent of a relationship in my past.”  
How much wine has Helen had! Evelyn though she was drunk but this! This was dangerously close to dragging Evelyn into something serious, something she didn’t want any part of, but she was so intrigued...  
_Don’t do it, You’ll regret it..._  
“Explain?”  
Helen took a brief breath, then gestured for Evelyn to give her the book. She obliged, and Helen hugged it tightly as she spoke...  
“I was at University. There was this...” Helen took a huge breath as if she had surfaced from a sea of faded, yet melancholy memories.  
“There was this girl”  
“Evelyn! Ev, we need to leave” called Winston suddenly  
These words seemed to suddenly cause this side of Helen to vanish, she stood up immediately, leaving a dazed Evelyn sitting on the settee, a thousand questions in her mind and a desperate desire to know more about Helen’a past, uncaring of the fact that in order to do so, she would have to nourish their relationship. A relationship that could be, to some degree reminiscent of Spring Fire.

_I pray that someday_  
_Our love will see the light' til then_  
_In thick dark silence_  
_I beg my heart to replace_  
_All through alone so long and sleepless night_

*

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trivia  
> Through a long and sleepless night (1959) was a song by Bobby Darin  
> Spring Fire was the first lesbian pulp fiction novel  
> A Studebaker Grand Turisimo was an elegant car in the 1960s


	4. You're gone forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Helen and Evelyn spend some quality time, and reflect on the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the week's delay, I've spent a long time trying to get the gist of 1950-1960s homosexual views. I'm going with this:  
> 1\. It is not illegal but frowned upon  
> 2\. People don't use terms such as lesbian, gay. They refer to lesbians as dykes and i don't think I'm going to use any other terms.  
> 3\. People are generally negative about homosexuality  
> I'm sorry if any of this is inaccurate!

_“There was this girl_ ”  
This was all moving way too fast for Evelyn. Now she was back in the Gran Turismo Hawk, she could catch up with her thoughts. Of until late, they had left her in abyss of confusion. “Curiosity killed the cat”, that’s what her brother had always said. But Helen had given away this information by herself, without Evelyn asking. She tried to console herself by saying it wasn’t her fault, but she could have left the conversation. She had known that asking Helen to explain, would cause regret before she had blurted it out. Even still, she wanted to know more, the identity of this mystery girl, what happened and why it had something to do with _Spring Fire._

 _Maybe they were fighting over Mr Incredible?_ She told herself meekly, but Evelyn knew, deep down that wasn’t the case. She was almost sure that Helen had had, to some degree, a romantic relationship with this girl. This, however could only be confirmed by Helen herself, but Evelyn had no idea when or how to ask her. She also needed to come to terms with her own feelings about Helen. Sure, she was attractive, sure she had a sweet personality, but there was nearly no chance anything could happen between them, Helen was married, she was still being nagged by her married brother to find a husband. She knew now that if pursued a relationship, when the time came to hypnotise her, she would be haunted by guilt for the rest of her life . She was exhausted now, her mind and body aching from the tension in her joints that had only just started to unravel like the balls of yarn Poincaré liked to play with. She frankly wished she had never gone to this stupid dinner party. But she knew, in a heartbeat, she would do it all again. The feeling of Helens waist against her shaking hands. The way her leg had brushed past hers, causing a shiver to run up her spine. The faraway, yet captivating look in Helen’s chestnut eyes when she had begun to explain the story of this mystery girl.  
Once more she was getting carried away by fantasies. She felt guilt and anger scorning her for even thinking about it. She wished she could just wish away her feelings, but that was impossible. Besides, some part of her enjoyed it all a bit too much for her liking.

*  
The realisation of Helen’s stupidity had only now hit her like a bullet. She had been one step away from revealing herself. Well actually, she was pretty much convinced she had already given it away, Evelyn wasn’t stupid, she had compared herself to a lesbian affair story! She had always regarded her lesbian feelings as something to be deeply ashamed of, society’s standards just didn’t want her to be herself. She clearly remembered a memory of her early years of marriage, two men had been holding hands in public (internally, Helen had applauded them for their bravery) and they had received nasty looks and shocked glances from many people passing by. It had put Helen in a terrible mood all day until eventually she had confessed her own feelings about women to Bob, who had handled the situation better than Helen had hoped, though he had been very shocked. He was happy to open their marriage if she ever wanted to pursue a relationship with someone. It had taken her 13 years to finally find herself considering using it. Even still, she was afraid Bob may have forgotten. She didn’t want to talk to him, in fear of him getting angry but the one way to solve it was confronting the problem. As Elastigirl, she had had much experience with this. But as Helen, situations involving Evelyn scared her. She was just so... compelling, to put it strongly. She had no idea what had convinced her into believing that Evelyn would still act the same around her if she knew Helen’s sexual preferences. In reality Evelyn would probably be bewildered and retreat from the friendship that had started to blossom between them. Surely Evelyn had a husband, though she had seen no ring on her elegant manicured hands. Hands that had gently caressed her waist as she had gripped her slender  
shoulders, pulling her closer with a mischievous glint in her eyes.  
_Stop it, Helen_  
Husband or not, Evelyn would still be shocked. Helen wouldn’t blame her. Society was what it was, so was the law that banned supers. At first she had tried to embrace her feelings, but once she had been taken to therapy and the school counsellor for the 3rd time to try and treat her “disorder”, she had given up. She knew that she had been an advocate for herself and others by defying society’s standards, hence the mowhawk, the rally’s and protests and the underground associations for people like her. All this had made her so proud but when the law on supers went up, that part of Helen was hastily put away, buried deep down within her. Helen had hoped that she could get away with being the typical suburban mom for the rest of her life. But Evelyn was going to prove an disruption to things staying that way.  
Perhaps confiding in Bob was a good idea.  
She busied herself in clear up the mess in the rooms, starting with the kitchen. Her head spun, partly due to the fact that she had drunk more alcohol tonight than the past year put together. It was making her queasy, but she needed to finish this. She washed all the wine glasses, seeing the stain of caramel lipstick on one of them. She knew that the mark had come from Evelyn’s plush lips... suddenly, an image as clear as day was unstoppably burned into her mind.

Those lips pressed against her own.  
_Snap out of it! I have a husband, a loving caring husband who supports my every move! Why is this happening to me?_  
The idea of Evelyn kissing her filled her with rage and she became aware of a loud crack, Helen looked down, the glass in her hand had shattered, her right hand was bleeding, similar to the colour of the wine she had been drinking earlier.  
“Shit” she whispered.  
“Bob! Honey come here please!” Her voice trembled as she ran her shaking hand under the water, then pressing a towel on it, trying to staunch the flow of blood. The nausea returned violently. She found tears running down her cheeks as she cried out for her husband. “Bob, please! Help!” She began to sob, forgetting what had had happened to her hand and tried to rub her eyes. This resulted in blood staining her face, causing Helen to go insane. “BOB PLEASE!!!” She was drunk and hurting and guilty about feelings that couldn’t be helped. Eventually Bob arrived, Lucius trailed him.  
“Honey, what is... Oh my goodness! Lucius call 911!” Lucius had pushed passed Bob, gotten a glimpse of a hysterical Helen, her face and hand blood stained, and almost passed out. Nevertheless he obliged, running out of the room to get the phone.  
“Helen what happened?!”  
“I got cut” Helen said hoarsely.  
“Sweetheart, I can... I can see that! But how did it happen?”  
“I was paying attention to what I was doing, I was thinking about something else, someone else”  
“What? Who?”  
Suddenly Helen groaned, falling into Bob’s arms. She didn’t know why she was overreacting.She had suffered much worse from missions during her crime fighting time. It was probably all the wine. This was just a shallow cut, it probably wouldn’t even need stitches. She felt dizzy, the culprit of that was probably the nausea from earlier and she allowed her eyes to shut and for the world to be enveloped in an blanket of darkness.

*  
“What do you mean delayed? We need to get to New Urbem tomorrow for the launch of the new train! There have been suspicions that something is up! We may not get an opportunity like this again!... What is it? Nothing could be more important than this? Wait...What? Oh my goddess! Well in that case I’ll come visit her myself. I’m sure she’ll be fine for tomorrow. Okay thank you!”  
Through Winston’s various facial expressions, different tones and even the words that he had said, Evelyn had tried to make out what was going on. However, she had come up with nothing and had to ask him.  
“What’s the matter now Win?”  
“There has been a slight issue that had sprung up?”  
“It can’t be that bad!”  
“That’s what I thought too”  
“Well... what is it then”  
“Elasti...Helen’s in hospital”

Evelyn felt a shiver run up her spine. She wanted to ask more, but couldn’t think of how to put it into words. She didn't want her new friend to suffer, even though the inventor knew she would eventually cause Helen unthinkable suffering. She had She decided the best option would be to visit Helen and ask her rather than receive her answers from Winston, who tended to over-exaggerate things. She felt guilt turn her blood cold, what if Helen had become so sick with worry about the _Spring Fire_ incident, she had passed out and had had to go to hospital? It wasn’t a very serious idea, However, anything could’ve happened to cause Helen’s sickness. Evelyn felt quite sick herself, it had only been a couple hours since she had left Helen’s house...it all seemed a bit unreal. She found herself back in the car, then in the hospital lobby. Helen had been asked for them to come one at a time, and Winston, eager as ever, had gone first. Evelyn found herself staring at a huge bell tower outside the windows. She sighed as she checked the clock: 10:23. She was overwhelmed with fatigue, having spent whole of the previous night working on her screenslaver plan. If Helen couldn’t make it to the train launch tomorrow, she would had to find another way to introduce her mind controlling mastermind. That could take a lot of time to work on. Evelyn groaned, walking over to the filter coffee machine. She pressed a button, put a paper cup under the tap, put on a few coins. Instantly, steaming black liquid came pouring out, splashing into the cup. She grabbed some sugar and milk, considered making a cup for Helen, then thought better of it. Evelyn felt like she had given up on being cool towards Helen, she was now aiming to be her friend for some unknown reason. There was just something about her, the way she made Evelyn...  
“Ms Deavor?” A tired looking nurse called out, who Evelyn recognised as Blake, the cleaner of her office at Devtech. Over the years they has shared conversations, but they didn't really make an effort to be friends. Mainly because Evelyn regarded herself as socially awkward. She felt like she never knew what to do or say at the right time.  
“Hey Blake, God damn, it really is a small word”  
On that Blake laughed. She was quite young, maybe in her late twenties with short messy muddy blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. She had a husky, seductive voice, that was slightly higher than Evelyn’s. Her eyes, blue with a tinge of grey, looked up to meet Evelyn’s “Hey Ms Deavor”  
“Call me Evelyn”  
She gestured for Evelyn to come her way. She grabbed her cup, searched in her bag for a while and found a unopened hand lotion and a bar of chocolate. Thinking fast she wrapped the two together with the ribbon that hung decoratively round the handle of her bag. She honestly didn’t know why she was bothering. There was silence as the two stood in the lift.  
“So what exactly happened to her?” Evelyn asked feeling like she needed some sense of what she was dealing with.  
“No-one told you, huh? She cut her hand, nothing too serious. She’s only staying the night because she passed out and we want to keep an eye on her.”  
“Oh...okay well it’s good that it’s not too bad...I guess”  
“Got her a gift, huh?, you’re a pretty sweet and caring person! Blake had a tendency to end her sentences with “huh”.  
“Sweet” and “Caring” were definitely two words Evelyn would have never expected anyone to call her. She tried to brush it off, though it made her feel like she was being given a much needed hug.  
“Well...if throwing two discarded items at the bottom of your bag is considered “a gift”, then yeah, I guess I am a pretty sweet and caring person.”

They exited the lift and Blake warned Evelyn that there was still quite a walk, as the other lift had broken and Helen was on one of the highest floors. This only gave opportunity for Evelyn to get to know her a little better. Although she had often chatted to Blake over the years, it seemed that this conversation seemed to draw her out more than ever. Soon they were laughing and smiling like they had been friends forever. One thing Evelyn liked about herself was the fact that she had the ability to charm people once she had decided she liked them. Perhaps not as much as Winston, when it came to conferences and meetings she barely said a word, but it did help her in her own ways. Like now.  
“Fuck!” Blake groaned.  
“We’re in the wrong wing. She sagged to the floor.  
“I haven’t slept in ages, I’m so tired.” Evelyn suddenly felt bad for Blake, she had learned that she had always wanted to be a journalist, but her family had disapproved. Then, her family had sent her to a strict boarding school for a reason Evelyn hadn’t been told, though she did notice that Blake had become incredibly flustered at the subject, She had graduated as a nurse and worked extremely long shifts, with hardly any free time. Her shifts would often run late into the night, like tonight, and the pay was a pittance, thus her job as Evelyn’s cleaner. Evelyn looked at her, kindness radiating from her smile. She gently bent down, the alcohol from earlier was still influencing her decisions, and tried to pull her up. Unfortunately, she had used a bit to much force as when Blake was upright again, Evelyn fell backwards, pulling Blake on top of her. They lay on the floor, unsure of what to do. Neither of them wanted to get up, for they were both so exhausted, and, though neither would admit, they enjoyed the sudden heat that had flared up between them. Evelyn felt her stomach tingle; Blake had shut her eyes, as her heart steadily began to beat normally again. Evelyn fought the temptation to wrap her arms around Blake, thinking that they had only gotten to really know each other for 15 minutes at the most.  
“You should probably get up, huh?”  
Evelyn said, teasing Blake, who’s eyes flew open. She looked disappointed at the comment and abruptly jumped up, the flustered look back on her face, this time though, there was a visible blush. She mumbled something along the lines of an apology, then turned away from Evelyn all fatigue gone, her body running on the adrenaline that had sprung up when they had fallen. Suddenly she turned back and her eyes met Evelyn’s, one arm outstretched to help her up, and they both started laughing hysterically.

*  
20 minutes of walking (and chatting) later, they finally found themselves outside Helen’s room. The nerves that had seemingly disappeared during the journey with Blake, had made a reappearance. She looked at her friend with fear and Blake responded by gently taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. For a while she held her hand, then pulled away, and a look of embarrassment had come over her. Evelyn had more of an idea of what had inspired her family to send her to that school. Trying to distract the imminent visit to Helen, she decided to probe further.  
“Blake,” she asked gently.  
“Why’d your parents send you to that boarding school?”  
“Blake’s eyes opened, she stepped away from Evelyn and curtly said.  
“You have half an hour, see me in the reception when you’re done to sign out” she turned away from Evelyn to walk back to the reception, uncaring of the fact that neither of them knew the way.  
“Shit...Blake...wait, I just wanted to...” She grabbed her arm to stop her.  
“It’s because of this” Blake said her eyes filled with fear.  
“What?” Evelyn enquired.  
“This!” She gestured to the fact that Evelyn had grasped onto Blake.  
“I’m making you uncomfortable?”  
“Earlier! A few moments ago! All of... this! Me acting like this, being all...weird. They said it wasn’t right. They said... I wasn’t right.”  
Evelyn was slowly beginning to grasp but she decided to give misleading answers just to see if Blake would say it herself.  
“You were a bully? You’re a whore? I have no clue what you’re on about.”  
“I was...am a dyke!” Blake yelled tears tracking down her face. Evelyn froze, though she had suspected this as the reason. Blake seemed to crumble under the realisation of what she had said. Evelyn could sense that memories of hiding and before that, taunting were slowly reviving themselves within Blake’s mind. She could relate, as she recalled those horrid school years that had started her transformation from believer to cynic. Though Evelyn was not a huge fan of physical contact, she pulled Blake into a hug, gently stroking her hair.  
“You’re not the only one”. Evelyn said softly. But before Blake could say anything or take into account what those words had really meant about Evelyn, she had disappeared into Helens room, shutting the door behind her.  
*  
_To resist the irresistible_  
Evelyn found it hard to believe that Helen was her “enemy” now. Mostly because this woman was so _damn cute_. The bed was a king size, meaning that Helen looked tiny in the middle of it. She was splayed out like a starfish, one hand bandaged, the other twisted in an awkward (and probably uncomfortable) position. Nevertheless, she looked perfectly relaxed. She was snoring lightly, her mouth slightly open. She looked younger, but perhaps that was because instead of a supersuit, she was just wearing pyjamas. Evelyn didn’t know if she should wake Helen up. She opened the door, but Blake had disappeared. Sighing, she flopped down in a armchair. And waited. 5 minutes passed. She didn’t know why she stayed, but some sort of force kept her in her seat. 10 minutes passed. The huge bell tower Evelyn had seen on her way in chimed 11. Helen woke up with a start, her fists clenched in a defensive position. She stared sleepily at the window, then turned on her stomach to go back to sleep, she caught glimpse of Evelyn and her eyes widened and her face stayed neutral, if not taking on a hard look. An uncomfortable silence took hold of the room. Eventually, Evelyn decided to do something. She pulled out her gift and gestured to the hand lotion.  
“Well...I guess you won’t find much use for this with that hand. Perhaps for the husband?” Helen raised her eyebrows, then started laughing. Allowing all the tension to melt away like snow.  
Evelyn couldn’t help but join in.

*  
One bottle of scotch whiskey, that Evelyn had found at the bottom of her bag (for emergencies) later, it seemed that there was a change in Evelyn and Helen’s relationship. They were more relaxed. Open. Neither could tell who it was that caused this. Neither cared. They talked, laughed and drank like was there was no tomorrow. Their friendship grew stronger, to Evelyn's slight dismay, with every word spoken and every sip of whiskey they consumed. There were moments when Helen would suddenly close up, but Evelyn didn’t care. It felt nice to have a friend. They had been chatting for half an hour now and their game had shifted to a Truth or Dare game, but upon realising there were only so many dares you could do in a hospital at half eleven, it had just become truths. They had confessed some pretty silly things, but the game was about to take a serious turn as Evelyn got a crafty idea.  
“Your turn” she said. “Truth or Truth, Helen Parr?”  
“Aaaah that’s a toughie... I think... I think I’ll go with Truth” Helen replied holding back laughter.  
“Okay Helen, What’s the deal with the _Spring Fire_ analogy?  
“What, oh Evelyn I really don’t want to... what do you mean?” Though Helen probably knew what she meant.  
“Come on, Helen”  
“I said I don’t know what you’re talking about” Helen said sharply.  
“Oh, you know what I mean Helen. didn’t know it was a touchy subject” Evelyn said harshly.  
On this Helen’s eyes began to fill with tears.  
“Shit I... Helen! Crap, I’m sorry”  
She was always doing this, blurting out insensitive comments. First with Blake, now with Helen. She couldn’t help it. Ever since her parents passed, she had become...heartless . She didn’t care about others feelings very much because her own feelings had been destroyed beyond belief. She didn’t know what people wanted, because she hadn’t had normal people desires. This was no excuse though. If Evelyn wanted to be treated normally then she knew she had to try her best to figure things out. Starting with this.  
“Helen, I’m... I fucked up, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise that it was a big deal for you”  
Helen wiped her eyes with her hand.  
“It’s fine, I’ll tell you”  
Evelyn felt a twinge if guilt, but a jolt of excitement numbed it.  
“There was this girl, Abigail, who was studying with me at college. We got on well, revised together, we shared much in common. But, there was something else... at first we tried to ignore it, to maintain a platonic friendship. We tried went together on a double date, me with Mr Incred-Bob. However, Abigail’s date ended up humiliating her badly in front of everyone the next day over something private she had told him at the date. He ended up in hospital due to the fact Bob got involved. I tried to help a distraught Gail but we ended up... well...we ended making a hell of a lotta love”  
Evelyn’s felt her stomach do a flip, this was it, Helen was into . A window of opportunity had been opened.  
“Over the next few months, we were basically friends with benefits. I’m sure Abigail was in love with me and I was convinced I was too. We hid it from everyone, due to the fact that that private information mentioned earlier was that Abigail had told her date that she liked girls.”  
Evelyn frowned. She was instantly transported back to her own college days. She shivered violently, causing Helen to raise her brows before continuing.  
“But we weren’t careful enough, a bunch of the other girls, from the cheer squad, caught us in the lockers. Ah Jesus, those were the dark days. Teasing to the point it forced, Abigail to leave the college. Lucky I was more comfortable with myself - and willing to fight anyone who had an issue with me. Eventually, I realised I was never in love with Abigail. But when the news came that Stratogale had died in a plane crash, I almost died myself. Time moved slowly; as though the world had stopped spinning.  
Nothing was the same without Gail by my side”

Evelyn was speechless. There was nothing more to say. Not even Winston’s charming words could cure this pain. Anyone who hadn’t had death take away someone they loved wouldn’t know what to do.  
But Evelyn had. And she knew what to do.  
“What was Gail like?”  
Oh she was _adorable._ She was the light of my life, never failed to draw a smile out of me. Her eyes, her gorgeous sky blue eyes were always so hopeful. When I was was at my best, and at my worst, she was there for me. You would see under the shade of the trees, little birds pecking crumbs at her feet, strumming a ukulele and whistling. Ah, I would do anything and everything to have her with me now.”  
Helen began to cry now, Evelyn had wanted her too. Crying was good, it released all the bottled up feelings. Funnily enough, Evelyn’s phycology course that she had taken in order to work out mind-control, were also quite helpful for working out human emotions. After a while she put her arms around the sobbing heroine,  
feeling awkwardness and comfort battling for her attention. The comfort won and she squeezed her tighter, becoming more confident and gently stroking her auburn hair, just as she had with Blake. After a while the awkwardness returned with a vengeance, and Evelyn let go. Helen sniffled a bit as Evelyn passed her the chocolate she had got her.  
“The tryptophan in the chocolate will cause the release of serotonin which is a mood-lifter”  
Helen laughed, then nibbled on the chocolate, breaking off a piece for Evelyn, who refused  
“I’m good ” she replied.  
“No you’re not, but the tryptophee will make you happy” Helen said in a singsong voice.  
“Tryptophan” Evelyn muttered under her breath. Nevertheless, she accepted the chocolate and had to admit- it made her feel better. They resumed their game of truths, avoiding anything serious. What seemed like hours passed, until the bell tower chimed midnight, causing Evelyn to gasp.  
_Winston!_  
Hurriedly, she clambered over the bed to the little table by it’s side. She dialled his phone number.  
“Deavor here!” Winston’s chirpy voice came over the line.  
“Hey Win”  
“Evie? Where in God’s name have you been?”  
“Oh sorry Win! I’ve been... with Helen” Evelyn started giggling.  
“Evelyn! I was waiting in the reception for ages! Wha...what took you so long?”  
“I lost track of time, Winston! I’ll meet you in the reception now!”  
“Evelyn! It’s midnight! I left ages ago!”  
“What? Winston!”  
“I can send a driver to pick you up”  
“Ugh can’t I just stay here? I’m so tired!”  
“What? Where will you sleep?”  
“Winston, it’s a hospital, there’s a million fucking beds”  
“I...I don’t think this is a good idea!”  
“Well I do” she slammed the phone down.  
Helen cocked her head slightly, a confused look on her face. All the confidence drained out of Evelyn as she realised what she had just declared.  
“What was that all about?”  
“Ugh, Winston being typical Winston”  
“No... what did you mean when you said you’re staying here?”  
Evelyn collapsed onto the bed, burying her face in the sheets. She moaned softly.  
“Shit, I haven’t slept in two days, my heads spinning and I’m gonna puke if I get in a car.”  
Helen gently reached over to Evelyn, who still slightly flinched when her hand began to caress her. She sighed before speaking.  
“It’s fine Evelyn, this bed was made for two anyway.”  
Helen got out of her bed, walking over to the drawer, whereupon she pulled out a set of pyjamas. She heard a thud and groan behind her and sighed

Eventually they somehow managed to change and get into the bed. Helen gazed over at Evelyn, half expecting her to gaze back but the inventor was facing away from her, staring out at the starlit city.

“It mesmerising, isn’t it? Aw god, Gail loved it. She’d paint me the most astounding pictures, I still have them. I ponder over them in wonder, tryin’ to guess what she was thinking about. They all had one thing in common- me. She’d paint the pictures as if I was the model of them. But only snippets, just to prove I was unreachable. I never realised how much she loved me until she was gone.”  
Evelyn turned over slowly,  
“What‘d it feel like?”  
“Huh?”  
“To have someone like her in your life”  
“Like touching the tip of the universe”  
Evelyn made a noise that sounded like a muffled sob. Helen spoke with concern.  
“Are you okay, Evelyn?”  
“Yeah” was the sharp response.  
“Helen?” Evelyn said after a while.  
“Yeah?”  
“Can I ask you a question?”  
“Depends”  
Evelyn took a deep breath.  
“You know your, thing?”  
“What “thing”  
“The whole Gail business. Well, about that, does your husband know about it? Does he mind that you like girls?”  
On the words “like girls” Helen’s eyes widened. The heroine glanced away, before speaking.  
“Yes Robert knows, he was the one that introduced me to Gail. And no; he didn’t get mad at me liking girls, he opened our marriage when he found out.”  
“Oh” were the words a gobsmacked Evelyn found herself saying.  
“I told him he was overreacting; I’ve never felt any need to be with anyone besides him.”  
Suddenly, Helen gasped.  
“Wait- you’re not freaked out!”  
“What, I know lots of people that have open...”  
“No no, not that. I like girls!”  
“What? I don’t mind”  
“Really? Evelyn be serious,you weren’t weirded out?”  
“Helen I don’t give a fuck, I’m fine with you”  
Suddenly Evelyn felt Helen’s arms around her once more  
“You know you’re the only person who hasn’t been shocked”  
“But you said..”  
“Ah, I said Bob wasn’t mad, but he was definitely shocked, he kept asking me if I was lying!”  
“I trust you” Evelyn said shyly. This only made Helen hug her tighter.  
“Seriously?”  
“Seriously Helen Parr, I swear I believe you. I mean, none of my other friends would embrace me for this long especially in bed.” Evelyn said laughing.  
“Well I don’t see you trying to stop me! In fact, I’d say you’re enjoying this! I mean, I won’t lie and say that I’m not. What about you, Evelyn, do you find me...enjoyable?”  
Evelyn froze, not knowing whether to break their hug, or let Helen have her way. She was technically her enemy, and she couldn’t afford to actually get too attached, but Helen’s hands felt so good, gently rubbing her back. The heat between them was enough to set a candle alight, and Helen was so captivating with her chestnut brown eyes and a gentle blush making her cheeks glow a rosy red. Evelyn couldn’t believe this was happening, Helen wanted her, _desired_ her. Okay- that was a bit to far, but Helen wasn’t stupid, she knew what she was suggesting. She gulped, her throat feeling like she had swallowed sand. Her eyes met Helen’s in a gaze so strong, that it numbed her nerves for a while. But not forever.

The feeling of questionable attraction that Helen had set loose was intoxicatingly good, but she started to wonder if this was something that was as good for Evelyn. Although the inventor had claimed that she was fine with Helen being attracted to females, she had no idea what Evelyn felt about her, in terms of attraction. She looked up at Evelyn and saw the woman’s pupils dilated in fear.  
_Damn!_  
A surge of guilt, embarrassment and yes, disappointment made Helen gently let go of Evelyn.  
“Helen...I”  
“Shh, it doesn’t matter, let’s just go to bed”  
_What have I done?_  
Helen felt like moving into another room, if she could find one open at this very late hour. She had done the stupidest thing possible; try and seduce Evelyn. What on earth had made her think that the other woman would just go with it? The look of fear on her face was enough to make her sick to the stomach. She had tried to suppress her own attraction after it had landed her in hospital. Now she had let her feelings spiral out of control. And “enjoyable”? She had sounded like she wanted the inventor to fuck her! No wonder Evelyn had been so overwhelmed. She tried to resist turning over to look at Evelyn. She felt like she was frozen in ice, she’s couldn’t talk, she couldn’t sleep, though her body ached with exhaustion. She knew she had to somehow pull off whatever stunts lay for her in New Urbem tomorrow-no today. She had repeatedly assured Winston that she was fine flying out tomorrow, though frankly she’d be surprised if she didn’t vomit by morning. She finally gave up and turned slowly to look at Evelyn. She wasn’t asleep but staring up at the ceiling. It could’ve been the moonlight that seeped in from the windows but her eyes appeared to be glistened with tears. She was solid stiff and her arms were crossed over her chest. Helen didn’t know what to do.  
“I’m sorry Evelyn”  
Helen turned away as fast as she could, staring at the door. Her mind began to wonder as she longed for Bob, her kids, and eventually Gail. She realised that Evelyn’s reaction had been eerily reminiscent of Gail’s own reaction to when Helen had admitted her attraction to her. She missed Gail so much, maybe she really had loved her, how she longed to have her arms around her, keeping her warm even on the coldest of nights. She suddenly felt her fantasy come true; she was really being hugged. She turned around and nearly bumped heads with Evelyn. They both started laughing then Helen pulled her in closer, causing both of their laughter to cease  
Their eyes met as Evelyn gently gripped Helen’s hair, causing her to gasp slightly. It all seemed it bit unreal for this to happen, Helen thought, but there was no stopping it now. She looked out of the window, at the stars that were scattered around the sky like tiny marbles. She wondered if she was insane for cuddling with Evelyn as she had only just met the tech genius two days ago, but her night had been so outrageous that this seemed natural. Besides, what was wrong with giving her friend a slightly long embrace? She glimpsed down at the now sleeping Evelyn and smiled, granting her tired mind permission to go blank as she fell into a dreamful sleep.

  



	5. We're never alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Evelyn and Helen end up embarrassing themselves, alone and together, in multiple situations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am genuinely sorry for all delays; I cannot guarantee that there will be an set day for chapters. Just know that I haven't abandoned this fic! I just take a while posting chapters. Also, thank you for all bookmarks, kudos and comments. Much appreciated!

Blake Foster made her way through the sets of doors, up the emergency staircases and into the clammy elevators that stood between her and Room 780. After a while, she broke into a light run; she was so behind schedule. Clutching her cap to her head, she rounded the corner, gasping slightly as skidded on the recently mopped floor. She grimaced as she thought of the pains the person who had the job of cleaning the whole hospital must endure on a daily basis. She only had to clean Ms. Deavors office twice a fortnight, although that was a challenge in its own way. Some could even try to argue that it was equal in difficulty. The brief amount of sleep that she had managed to attain had been dominated by multiple nightmares; each vigorously fighting for her attention. Most of them included her family; if she could call them that. Pushing her down, crushing her dreams, endless taunting; Blake hadn’t even begun to explain the heartache she felt everytime the painful subject was brought up. She found herself at her destination, not hesitating to open the door. Her eyes widening at what she saw.  
*  
_A few minutes earlier_  
The sunlight seeping through the windows eventually caused Evelyn to stir and come to her senses. She ran her hands through her short coarse hair as she turned over to the centre of the bed. However she bumped into something...no, someone as she recalled the events of last night. For there lay Helen Parr; her face mere centimetres from her own. A few loose strands of her auburn hair were being comically lifted into the air by her breathing. Almost gasping at the lack of space between them, she spent a while observing her, before gently shaking her awake with a cheery call of her name, the cheeriness having to be slightly forced. With this, she felt confusion sweep over her mind. Why was she in this woman’s bed? Why had she chosen to stay? How much whiskey had influenced this decision? And how much had been genuine willingness to be with Helen? But before she had time to ponder, Helen was up, a shocked look was drawn on her face before a huge grin replaced it and Evelyn wasn’t sure she had even seen the look of slight trepidation in the heroine’s eyes. But it definitely had been there. It was most likely instinct.  
“Mornin’ Evelyn!”  
“Ugh...what time is it?” She mumbled, playing the part of a hungover drunk.  
“Ah, lemme check. Cripes! Its seven! Our flights leave at ten-thirty! We better get a move on!”  
They suddenly became aware of a handle being tugged on. Blake pushed the door open, a shocked, then amused look on her face as she looked around. Her eyes then darted between Evelyn and Helen for a few seconds. She took a sharp breath before speaking.  
“Mr Deavor’s waiting in the reception”  
There was an awkward pause as Blake and Evelyn eyed each other other up, while Helen gave the inventor a confused look.  
“Hey Blake” Evelyn said after a while.  
“Evelyn” Blake said with a small smile.  
“I’ll leave you to change and ready yourselves, I’m guessing you’ll need...quite a bit of time, huh?” Blake said, her eyebrows slightly raised in a mischievous look.  
“Ten minutes will do” Helen said, feeling slightly uncomfortable due to the fact she had no idea what was going on.  
“Okey-dokey, I’ll be outside” Blake exited with a wave.  
Helen was up and running the second she left. She stumbled slightly, reassuring that the actions of the previous night were probably solely due to an significantly high consumption of alcohol. Probably.  
“So, who was that?” Helen enquired. Evelyn yawed and rolled over to face her. She pulled herself out of the bed whist she responded.  
“Oh, that’s Blake, my...friend”  
Evelyn had decided that saying Blake was her “cleaner” would be rude. Blake and her got on well; there was no point in denial. Besides, Evelyn still hadn’t figured it what had happened between them whilst on their mini adventure to find Helen. She had no intentions of stressing over it, though.  
“Oh, right” Helen said as a she bent down to pick up some clothes on the floor. Suddenly everything clicked into place. The whiskey scent that lingered in the air. The clothes scattered all over the place. Though Helen couldn’t tell what exactly, there was something about with the way Blake had found the two in bed that hinted very strongly at seductive behaviours.  
“Evelyn...I think Blake thought we were...making out”  
“What! Oh Jesus” Evelyn said throwing her head back and laughing. Helen was bewildered. _Why is she laughing?_ It was evident that Evelyn was trying to downplay the seriousness of the situation. There was something else there that she was trying to cover up, but it was so minuscule that if Helen thought about it for too long she lost the notion altogether. She could feel, however, a connection to whatever this strange feeling was. It made her relate to bizarre concepts like walking into fire, running underwater or dancing on thin ice.  
“We were pretty close though”  
Helen now found herself certain of what she had felt brief seconds ago. Relish. The words had come out of her from nowhere. Instantly, she wanted to take them back. She didn’t even know why she had blurted them out. She could feel her cheeks burning as she blushed furiously (With embarrassment, she hoped). Of all the things to say, she had gone for the most freakishly awkward. She didn’t dare to look at Evelyn, fearing the reaction of the inventor. However her curiosity got to her and after a few seconds she glanced up. Evelyn was staring at her a with a concerned look on her face. Helen’s heart sank to the floor as she wished furiously to be swallowed up by the ground. She couldn’t bear it.  
“I’m, I’m sorry”  
“Nah, it’s fine” Evelyn said though internally she was crumbling. She forced her look to become more relaxed. Helen felt relief rush through her.  
“I honestly don’t know where that came from! Ah, I’m so stupid”  
“People have to say what we think, otherwise their emotions get all bottled up and it causes problems later on. Besides, your words did keep a veracious account.” Evelyn replied with a small smile. Helen’s eyes widened. Her heart fluttered.  
“Veracious, you say?”  
“Sooner or later we have to face the truth, whether we like it or not” Evelyn replied.  
_Does she like it? Or not?_ Helen wondered. She decided to change the subject to avoid any sensitivitie topics. The evening had already had enough drama last a lifetime.  
“Well, enough of this, we told Blake we’d be ten minutes and you’re not even dressed” Helen prodded Evelyn in the belly, causing her to snigger.  
“Hey! Stop it!” She said, lunging forward to seek revenge. This surprised Helen, who hadn’t expected to be once more in such close proximity with the inventor. However, the past few minutes of tension seemed to melt away and Helen decided to just go with it. Evelyn fell onto her, grabbing her shoulders as she tried to tickle her. Helen fell back onto the bed laughing uncontrollably. It appeared that the whiskey from last night was still in their systems; their behaviour was that of schoolchildren that had been given fizzy drinks. Helen tried to flip her over so that she could gain the upper hand in their little “fight”, and Evelyn was grasped onto her to prevent her from doing so, when Blake walked back in. Instantly, the two recoiled, and jumped up with a start, trying to put as much distance between as possible. Blake’s eyes widened and she sighed.  
“Oh God, I’m so sorry!” She said, backing out the room.  
“It’s not what it lo-appears to be! ” Evelyn said, refusing to say the infamous “It’s not what it looks like” line.  
“Then how’d you explain this, huh?” Helen and Evelyn looked at each other, both of them knowing the stupidity of confessing the truth. There was little to no chance Blake would believe them. Besides the truth was quite indecorous. If someone else had walked in, they would’ve probably been quite perplexed, and probably disgusted. Blake, however, was visibly taken aback, but her playful smile reassured the two women.  
“Ah, doesn’t matter. At least you’re in perfect condition to leave the hospital, huh? Are you guys ready to go?” Blake said trying to ease the two women’s embarrassment, although she looked quite eager to get moving. Helen smiled bashfully, her cheeks going slightly red.  
“Aww Jeez, I‘m really sorry we’ve taken so long, Blake. We’ll only be five minutes, I promise!” Blake smiled and walked out. Evelyn made a mental note to watch out for Helen’s charm later on. People with genuine enthusiasm had a habit of growing on Evelyn. Take Winston for example. After their parents death, Evelyn really begun to appreciate her brother. Yes, he talked too much. Yes, he was always energetic and full of joy. Yes, he was the complete opposite of her. But he was all Evelyn had left. And Evelyn intended to keep him safe.  
Even if that meant going against everything her family had stood for.  
*  
An while later, they were back in the reception and Winston was bounding up to the two women.  
“What took you so long? It’s seven forty! It doesn’t matter, you’re here now. The flight leaves at ten as you know from last night. So Helen we can drop you off to get packed and pick you up...actually, I’m sure you’ll find your own way. Just be there in two hours time!” He ushered them into a taxi, jumping in the front with the driver. The back had a big suitcase in it, due to the fact that the car was tiny. This meant that Helen and Evelyn ended up bundled up in extremely close proximity. Evelyn couldn’t help showing a bit of reluctance to the situation, though it did feel nice to be so close to the super again. The car slowed to a stopped  
“See you in a bit, this time I’d advise you take care with the drinking, it appears you’re a lightweight” Evelyn said, chuckling.  
“Oh be quiet” Helen said shoving her playfully. She grinned and turned, before giving the inventor a gentle squeeze of her hand.  
“Thanks for staying last night, I know you were the one who decided, I really needed someone. Talking about Gail is a though subject, still feel the pain like it was yesterday.” Helen mumbled timidly.  
“Eh, It’s nothing” Evelyn said. Helen let go of her hand and smiled, before hopping out of the car and walking down the driveway back to her house. Evelyn held up her hand as if to say goodbye, but after a second realised how ridiculously soppy she was being. All the jolliness seemed to seep out of her. Her cynical ways had finally defeated the softer side of her. And they returned with a fury. Scowling, she faced away from the house, hugging her knees and barking at Winston to turn off the jazzy romance music playing. He was too busy talking to hear her. This whole affair was completely and utterly stupid and she was falling for it like a ton of bricks.  
“So,” Winston said finally turning his attention to her.  
“I didn’t know you had a such a soft spot for Elastigirl” he said, before wolf-whistling.  
“Shut the fuck up”  
“Gee, someone’s getting feisty!” Winston said to the driver, a close friend of his called Tommy. He was often an escort for supers due to the fact he was one himself, he had hidden his powers most his life, due to embarrassment and bullying. He had been studying in Brazil when Syndrome had massacred the supers and had only returned to Metroville a few months ago. Tommy laughed, before catching a glance of a fuming Evelyn in the mirror and stifling his laughter.  
“Winston, I’m warning you, don’t push it” Evelyn said through gritted teeth. She wondered why she was so concerned about it. Winston teases her all the time. So if it wasn’t the banter, it had to be the subject of the mocking that got to her. Evelyn glowered and groaned when she realised what that meant.  
“Okay, Okay!” He exclaimed. He muttered something to Tommy that was to quiet for Evelyn to hear, due to the fact that Winston had failed to turn off the radio. They both laughed, then kept shooting glances at her over the course of the next few minutes. This put Evelyn in a horribly, agitated mood. She sulked for a while, the jazzy music doing nothing to calm her but rather irritate her to her limits.  
_Like a song of love that clings to me_  
_How the thought of you does things to me_  
_Never before_  
_Has someone been more..._  
“FOR FUCK’S SAKE WINSTON, TURN THAT DAMN SONG OFF NOW!”  
The music abruptly stopped.  
Silence graced the car before Winston gasped and Tommy’s eyes widened. Evelyn realised the reason of her outburst; the exact words of the song had sent her over the edge. Embarrassment flooded through her as she realised the message she was unknowingly giving; She was in a bad mood because Elastigirl was gone. At first, denial tried to overrule it but Evelyn couldn’t cover up the truth. She herself had told Helen people needed to face the truth, she might as well practice what she preached. She muttered something along the lines of an apology to Winston, then allowed her mind to be overwhelmed by thoughts. Thoughts that she hadn’t had time to address in the blur of the past evening. Thoughts that she suspected would drive her insane if she dared to explore them.  
*  
Helen ran into Bob’s arms the moment the door opened. His hands felt as soft as feathers as they gently massaged her back.  
“Hey honey” Bob mumbled into her hair. He pulled her into the house, spinning her round in the air. She sighed as she told him she was in a hurry to get packed and needed him to drop her off at the airport. He looked slightly crestfallen but perked up when she was finished.  
“Oh! About that” He said, fumbling around in his pockets.  
“There’s a note I found somewhere addressed to you, where did I put it, It’s not in my pocket, Then I must’ve left it in this drawer...Aha! Here you go!”  
Helen took note from Bob with a questioning look.

_Elastigirl,_  
_There’s an accessory in the garage..._  
_-Evelyn_

Helen gave Bob another look.  
“Well, aren’t you gonna take a look?” He questioned.  
“Nah, I’ll get ready first, then I’ll see”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
In reality, Helen was somewhat apprehensive. At first she had wondered if it was something like flowers or chocolates, but the word “accessory” had ruled those options out. There was something about it that made Helen slightly uneasy. Besides, she thought. I might as well get packed first as then I’ll be ready to leave. The logic wasn’t quite there, but she’d take it. At that moment, she’d would’ve taken any excuse not to go.

30 minutes later and Helen was halfway through her packing. She remembered her time in the hospital with Bob, before Winston and Evelyn. She had confessed everything to do with the inventor to him and why it had somewhat been her fault that she had hurt her hand. Speaking of her injury, she felt no pain anymore. The doctor had told her she was extremely lucky; no nerves had been damaged. She knew one of her abilities was slightly faster healing. She had been with a doctor who specialised in super’s health care, so she didn’t need to worry about privacy and the like. Helen removed the bandage and saw her hand. Her injury wasn’t very deep or long- It hadn’t needed stitches.They had only kept her in the hospital due to the fact she had passed out. She could return to hero work later on. However, she wondered how protected she’d be in an Galbaki suit; Edna’s suits had always kept her safe and she knew how precise the designer was. She doubted that he could keep up with her astonishingly high standards. Nevertheless she needn’t worry about that. She could take care of herself if she ever needed to. They probably wouldn’t even be doing anything, just a few patrols, apparently a technological new train launch had suspected disruptions. She sighed, there was so much going on. Some part of her wished to go back to before Syndrome had torn her world apart. Back then she had an organised and simple life. Yet, she hadn’t been living, only surviving. Now her life was like a roulette wheel, she wasn’t in control of what happened. Her desires seemed to be quietly cast aside as the needs of others drove forward. But Helen had been used to putting others first, so she was puzzled as to why this all felt wrong. To break the law for a good reason or to obey an unjust law, that was the one thing that could break her and her husband apart. Unlike him, Helen didn’t strive to be glorious, she strived to help others. She took that thought back as soon as it had popped into her mind. Bob wasn’t like that at all, it just seemed that way to her, occasionally. She packed a few more books, failing to notice she was only choosing her lesbian pulp fictions. A few more socks and she was finished. The kids were still away, Bob had told her. She hauled her bag down the stairs and set about to find Bob. The storm in her mind had calmed and she found companionship in the bliss that radiated from the emptiness of the house. However guilt stole the moment when Helen realised that she had absentmindedly regarded her family’s absence a good thing. Trying to put that, and many other worries aside, she found herself meandering towards the garage. She ignored the lousy cautions that ran through her mind and walked into the room. A beautiful sight belay her.

A motorcycle, of a glossy red hue, stood proudly in the centre of the room, like the centrepiece in a exhibition. Helen’s heart raced as she bounded to its side. She ran a finger over the controls and squealed as the motorbike came to life. It hummed pleasantly as stats on fuel, power, acceleration and more lit up the screen in an electric blue. Helen’s eagerness got the better of her and she jumped onto the bike, finding it to be unbelievably comfortable. She chucked softy to herself as she shut her eyes. She felt young again. Free again. Her life felt like it had fallen back into balance. However this time, the future that was glorious.  
*  
The future was fucked.  
A sudden rush of nausea threatened to rock Evelyn into a nightmarish daze. She found her vision blurring slightly as she stumbled, bumping into Winston.  
“Evie, watch out!” He took one look at his sister and his face drew concerned.  
“Are you okay?”  
“Y-Yeah” she said, her voice shaking. In truth Evelyn was not okay. She was drowning in despair.  
_How could I forget?_  
Today was Elastigirl’s first day in the field. Today was the day that she had once been looking forward too with such eagerness, now she dreaded it. Today was the day of Screenslaver’s birth. And Evelyn was feeling an unacceptable feeling about the whole situation. Doubt. She didn’t want to hurt Helen, but she had to avenge her parents death. It all came down to the next few hours.

Half and hour later, Helen arrived, sporting the motorcycle that Evelyn had built her. She also sported an unbelievably cheerful mood. She walked over to the siblings with a spring in her step. Her eyes locked with Evelyn, though the inventor remembered her new regime and broke their gaze instantly. Her willpower was tested, though, when the heroine flung her arms around her with such force it caused Evelyn to stumble. She caught glimpse of her brother and it was enough for her to push her away. Guilt caused her heart to sink slightly as she saw the hurt look on Helen’s face. She overcame it extremely well though, by masking any positive emotions displayed on her face with a surly pout.  
“Uh, thank you for the bike!” Helen said brightly, unsure of how she should approach the sudden bluntness. She wanted to ask Evelyn what had happened, but her mouth refused to move.  
“It’s my job” Evelyn said with all the flatness she could manage.  
“Ah, well, you did it spectacularly!” Helen said, still ignoring Evelyn’s attitude. Evelyn stared blankly at her. Helen grinned childishly. Winston spoke.  
“Perhaps we better get a move on?”  
“Perhaps” Evelyn said with enough iciness to freeze Helens smile and wrench it into a grimace. She suddenly turned on her heel and stormed into the jet. Helen faced Winston.  
“Jeez, what’s up with her?”  
Winston shrugged,  
“She’s just being her typical self”  
“I don’t think so, she was so lovely yesterday.”  
“Ah, she was putting on a show”  
“Didn’t seem like it”  
Helen decided that if she was in Evelyn’s shoes she wouldn’t want to be a topic of discussion, so as soon as she replied to Winston, she left the conversation hanging. Following Evelyn’s example, she marched into the plane, leaving a dumbfounded Winston wondering what the heck had just happened.

For the pilot, the flight passed uneventfully. For his passengers, the same couldn’t be said. At least to the same degree. All sympathy had to be given to Winston; The businessman had no idea why his fellow passengers were so bitter. Helen had no idea either, though she had settled on mimicking Evelyn’s behaviour because it was as clear as day that Evelyn had done a complete three-sixty on her. Shy smiles were replaced with blank glances. She was expressionless in speech, simple in gestures and instead of witty jokes, she would resort to cool phrases. Helen felt awful. It was obvious what had happened; After last night’s mishaps, Evelyn had realised she was playing a dangerous game by allowing an intimate friendship to bloom between them. She saw Helen for what she truly was, and was appalled.  
_I thought you were differen_ t  
Shame taunted her for believing all that nonsense that the inventor had said last night. _It was all bullshit_ Helen thought angrily. She had opened her heart up to this woman, and she had expected her to handle it all. She looked over at the cause of her misery. She was tapping away on a tablet, locked in a cage of concentration that seemed to keep her apart from the rest of the world. Helen longed to know to what was captivating her mind so intensely. It was noticeable that she was stressed. She would tut and groan every few moments and she would scrunch her nose in agitation. This was unintentionally winsome and it made Helen feel a bit happier. She couldn’t help but smile.  
Evelyn unexpectedly looked up and squinted at her. Helen was thrown, and when she refused to break the stare after two minutes, Helen began to question the sanity of the woman.  
“Is there a problem, Evelyn?”  
The inventor drew back, sitting up a bit straighter. She shook her head at no one in particular.  
“No, sorry” she replied, but still not returning to whatever work she was doing.  
“Then why were you staring at me?” Helen said, wanting to drag out and complicate the conversation.  
Evelyn’s face hardened.  
_Boredom is a bitch_  
Helen felt her cheeks going red the other woman cocked her head and smiled.  
“You know, I really don’t get you”  
Helen blurted out, staring at the ground to avoid any means of confrontation.  
“What’s there to get, we’ve only known each other for a couple of days” Evelyn said, her voice surprisingly softer.  
“I dunno, it’s just, last night, we just...clicked.” Helen murmured, stumbling over the words.  
Evelyn’s eyes widened.  
“And now well- it’s like you lied to me! You said you weren’t freaked out but you aren’t even talking to me. You know, if you were uncomfortable, it would’ve been easier if you had just left last night. You seemed so genuine though...” the short flow of words Helen had been able to get out fizzled away as she looked up. Evelyn was back with the blank look. Helen sighed and pulled out a book from her bag.  
“I didn’t lie Helen. I’m so sorry if it appeared that way, I’m just, hungover!” She remarked in a fake apologetic drawl. She was starting to find herself impressed at how deceptive she could be. Helen brightened up and soon she had moved over next to her. Evelyn felt conflicted between relieved and grumpy, though she decided to play along with it, allowing Helen to indulge in a friendship that was tainted by reluctance. They wasted the half-hour away exchanging stories and debating topics and such, but when the heroine fell asleep on her shoulder, gently, and ever so slightly, nuzzling against her, Evelyn had come to the conclusion that it was too much. Although she didn’t want to break Helen’s heart over this friendship, it would look quite suspicious if she was suddenly so cold towards her, and a super villain plot emerged. While this was true, Evelyn knew fully well that Helen snuggling against her wasn’t platonic. If not for her sake, it would probably make Winston start questioning. That was enough of a reason for her to take action. She tried shifting over slightly, but it did nothing but make it worse. She didn’t want to get up, in fear of Helen hitting her head, but it seemed to be the only option. She attempted to lean the other way, as to upright Helen, but she pushed her too far forward, and she fell sideways onto her lap. She groaned as the other woman gently stirred and rolled over onto her stomach. She felt flushed as the heroine continued to nestle against her, her face now pressed against her lower abdomen. This was helpless.  
“Winston!” She called. Her brother was seated in the row behind her as he had felt so awkward that he had moved during the silent treatment had taken place.  
“Yeah Evie?” He called our groggily.  
“Uh...I need your help” she said, her cheeks reddening even more. She tried pushing Helen off, then rolling her over, but she wouldn’t budge and Evelyn couldn’t get up. She was too panicked to think straight. All that her mind could process a carnal feeling that began to blossom within her like a flower. It was nearly impossible to ignore. A sudden burst of laughter snapped her out of it and she focused her attention on her brother. He was laughing heartily and Evelyn’s facial expressions continued to set him off until he was close to tears.  
“I...need a...camera” he wheezed between gales of laughter. Before Evelyn could do anything to protest, he had run back to his bag, grabbed his Polaroid camera and snapped a picture.  
“Oh my fucking God” Evelyn muttered. He really was a child.  
“Winston! A little help?”  
He waited for the pictures to be processed before exclaiming with little maturity,  
“I’m showing her these later” Evelyn hissed and gestured to him to help her.  
“It’s not even funny, Winston. Stop being so damn stupid”  
He sighed and helped to pull the heroine off. Evelyn felt relief, but the carnality of it all plagued Evelyn and she couldn’t shake it no matter how hard she tried.

The day passed and Evelyn found herself lying awake into the early hours of the morning. Her plan had worked perfectly, and for that she was grateful. Working with Helen had been, delightful. She had used her intelligence and Helen’s abilities to apprehend the driver. Though perhaps they had only worked so well because Evelyn had been in control the whole time. The main point was that Helen had been bewildered and unsettled by the Screenslaver, but Evelyn had felt guilt, regret and shame walking with her every step of the way. She wondered, as she began to feel drowsy, if holding a grudge like this was really worth it. It certainly didn’t feel that way anymore. Perhaps that was just an impact of Helen life on her own, she pondered as she drifted into sleep.

 


	6. The Dynamics Never Settle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a party is introduced and the ladies reflect on the ever-changing dynamics of their friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohmygod- I just want to say how sorry I am for abandoning this fic for SO LONG; I have been super busy with exams and my art and music that I just didn’t have a chance to work on this! Every time I received kudos I felt so guilty; anyways hope you enjoy- all comments are appreciated!

_...Mary Drew knelt down on the rug. She leaned forward, her mouth within an inch of Martha's._  
_"l love you," she said._  
_"I've loved you from the very moment we met. But I won't kiss you..._  
As exhilarating as reading a good book was, it did little to call for Helen to be slumberous. The lights were dimmed romantically low, a glass of now lukewarm milk set on her bedside table. She placed the book on her drawer, then decided better of it and hauled herself out of her bed to hide it in her case. As honest and open as she was, there were some things better left unknown to the prying eyes of society. She always was paranoid, a quirk of being a super. As she prepared to burry the book in a nest of shirts, she found her gaze lingering on the title: _The evil friendship_. She chuckled to herself as she reckoned with just how relatable those words were. No, evil was certainly not the word she was looking for. But her friendship with Evelyn certainly had it’s moments. It also caused Helen to face a new difficulty. Speaking of difficulties, she had the ScreenSlaver to sort out; a mind controlling maniac, who had hacked the hover train and hypnotised the driver. She didn’t want to delve into the matter to far, but it had certainly been puzzling. Trying to draw her mind away from the issues that were causing her lack of sleep, she semiconsciously fumbled through her bag, pulling out an envelope addressed to her from Winston. He had given it to her whilst they had waited in the hotel lobby. His emotions had been too difficult to read, though Evelyn’s hadn’t. This caused for even more curiosity to consume her mind. Humming a jaunty country tune, she ripped it open. A polaroid fluttered onto her lap, face down, and she stared at it for a moment before flipping it over. The contents of the photo were too difficult to make out in the far off faint light of the lamp on her bedside table. Believing that her eyes were accustomed to the dimness of the room and turning on the main lights would be unsettling, she took the picture back to her bed to examine it further. At first she couldn’t tell what was going on. It was taken on the jet. Evelyn was flushing with embarrassment, her cheeks a had rosy hue about them and her pupils were dilated. Helen’s eyes wandered further down the picture, though it was small and she could’ve looked at the whole thing in one go. Nerves had gotten the better of her and thus, her actions had been done purposefully. She saw herself, her face planted against the inventor’s lower abdomen, her hair mostly blocking her face. What little tiredness that had been gently lulling her disappeared in an instant. She wondered why Winston had sent her this, it wasn’t important, yet another feeling seemed to wash over her mind. Intense embarrassment. The photo could be perceived in many different ways, but Helen’s brain had automatically gone for a more intimate and sensual perception. Anyone could see how dangerously close the action was to being sexual, and perhaps Winston had sent it to her for that reason. Of course, Helen hadn’t had any control over her actions, she had been asleep, but it appeared that from what little she could see of her face in the photo, she was deeply comfortable and seemed to be snuggling against Evelyn. Helen moaned, why was everything to do with that woman so, difficult? Even in her sleep, Helen was unable to resist her. It was the inventors fault for provoking her, and being so irresistible. She knew now that it was the drowsiness taking over, and she felt bad for blaming Evelyn. She also felt awful for Bob, he had no idea what was happening between her and Evelyn, if you could say there was something going on, and he had been there for her all these years. She had called him earlier, and he had seemed to be mostly in control of life at home. She knew how much had had wanted her job, and yet he was coping so well. It pained Helen to think of his reaction to finding out that his wife was interested in her co-worker whilst working on the thing he so desperately desired. Helen paused her train of thought to question whether was she really going through with this. Yes, she had a crush on Evelyn. Childish as it seemed, she knew she might as well start accepting it. The problem was that Helen was convinced that the inventor was already aware of this, and didn’t approve. In the picture, it was evident that she was uncomfortable, though Helen couldn’t blame her, and when Helen had flirted with her last night, she had been frozen with fear. Helen was so lost that it didn’t really make a difference it it turned out that she too had taken a fancy for her. She wouldn’t abandon Bob, she couldn’t do that to him. She remembered how upset she had been when she had found out about Mirage but Helen found herself guiltily longing for, more. She found her so intriguing and enchanting, and the thought of Evelyn’s lips against her own, no longer angered her, but rather pleasured her. She was suddenly hit by a wave of pain, as Bob came crashing into her mind. She felt so bad, it wasn’t fair on him at all, and she feared that she believed that he was no longer desirable. She wanted to slap herself, how could she be this despicable? She couldn’t allow herself to become bored of Bob. It felt inevitable, however, she found Evelyn so alluring and she wanted her so badly it burned all desires of Bob to a crisp. Helen couldn’t believe her thoughts had escalated so far, yet she knew she still had a long and sleepless night ahead of her. Bob or Evelyn; eventually she would have it face the truth, just like the inventor had told her.  
*  
For the next few days, everything passsed in a blur. A bunch of mishaps involving interviews and tracking devices had ultimately led to the capture of the ScreenSlaver who had been nothing more than a pizza delivery man. However, after a while of consideration she was almost certain that it wasn’t him. It all felt like a cover up, the poor guy had been so confused. Although that was troubling her, the effect that her appearances were having was enough to relax her, for now. The publicity she was receiving was amazing, ever since she had saved Ambassador Selik’s life, it had really changed people’s opinions on supers. Everything was good. Including her relationship with Evelyn. They had somehow managed to lessen the tension in their relationship, going for a much cooler and distanced friendship. They didn’t dare push the limits anymore, not knowing what would happen, not knowing anything. Evelyn and Helen knew one thing for sure though; their relationship was like an ice-covered lake. One step too far would shatter the strictly professional relationship they were now trying to maintain. Tension couldn’t just disappear, it still lurked in the corners of their speech. Both of them felt like they were holding their breaths. It felt like a bomb, and the fuse was about to be lit. In the form of an invitation.

 _Dear Sir/Ma’am_  
Winston Deavor invites you to join him in the imminent legalisation of Superheroes in the form of a ball located in the Aeon Dancehall, New Urbem Performing Arts Centre (address on back). Dress code; semi-formal, formal. From 7:30- Late  
We hope to see you there!

*  
Rage and pain were surprisingly not the emotions that Evelyn was torn between. Instead a mix apprehension and weariness. She also felt lost. The ScreenSlaver had been caught, and she felt so foolish and unsure that it was starting to affect her behavioural patterns. She found herself having difficulty in rest and relaxation, her movements became jumpy and she felt weighed down with anxiety. Then again, she blamed everything on herself. She hadn’t thought out her plan too well and now she had to try and pick up the pieces of the puzzle that Elastigirl had taken apart, and put them back together so carefully that they would still be efficient. That was highly unlikely, so she would probably be facing a confrontation if she didn’t whip something up fast. Helen was smart; she’d look above the capture of the pizza guy and keep pursuing until she was completely satisfied. She hoped she had hidden her tracks well enough.  
Though hadn’t she wanted a confrontation? Originally, yes, but now she had ruined her chances of being able to attack and hurt Helen. She cared for her too much. Now she was ruined. Thoughts of prison, failure and loss tainted her sleeping hours. She was the conductor of her own downfall. Her emotions had gotten the better of her, and there was no stopping them now. All she could do was wait, think and try her hardest to evade it. Pulling herself from the pessimism that made misery of her her, she gathered her things and made her way to the meeting her brother had scheduled. Something to do with the worlds ambassadors and super legalisation. She paused to address her appearance in the mirror; her hair was spiked out in all directions, tiredness had caused for the heavy bags under her eyes. But the eyes themselves were certainly the most worrying aspect of her look. They held a glazed-over expression, causing her to look mentally, and physically, unstable. There was no way she could make acquaintance with the worlds leaders looking like this. Checking the time on her watch, she figured she had 15 minutes until Tommy came to pick her up. That was enough time to have a brief shower. She’d ask him to make a pit stop at the pharmacy’s on route so she could grab some meds. She arched her back lazily as she undressed, gently untangling the knots in her hair with her hands. She thought about the upcoming dance her brother had stupidly organised. Just when she thought her life couldn’t get any worse. She hated social interaction, and now she was being forced to do it under pressure. Then there was Helen. Knowing herself, she’d probably give up twenty minutes into the party, and spend the rest of the night with the heroine. Most likely drunk. Although she really couldn’t allow anything more to happen with her and the other woman, she was excited for just how far the party would push it. She knew that she would end up tipsy, to put it lightly, and her emotions would once more get the better of her. She was snapped back to reality by the honk of Tommy’s car outside. She groaned.

She was in for a rough couple of days.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Evil Friendship- Marijane Meaker


End file.
